The Battered Body

TWELVE

By the time Clint had switched off the television, two hundred pairs of eyes were fastened on Gillian. James, Lindy, and Lucy were also staring at their friend when she suddenly jumped out of her seat and scurried from the room, her bright red hair whirling around her head like an orange cyclone as she ran.

The sound of the door clicking shut following her abrupt departure spurred the room into life again. Tongues were soon wagging at a rapid fire, and Dolly was practically swooning in ecstasy at being present for one of the most dramatic events in the town’s history.

“Goodness gracious!” Milla exhaled. “Talk about being put in the spotlight. Should you go after her, James?”

“Knowing Gillian, she’s going to need some time alone. She’s probably heading straight for her meditation space or whatever she calls it.”

Lindy looked impressed. “You’ve got the name exactly right, James. She’s got a small room in her house with only a few pieces of white furniture and a pair of gauzy curtains. She lights candles and listens to a CD that’s supposed to remind her of the earth’s natural music-birds chirping and waves crashing. That kind of stuff.”

“We can leave her be for tonight,” Lucy said. “But I’m going over there in the morning. I don’t want to find her in her meditation room three days from now half-starved and dehydrated to the point of death.” She shook her head and then eyeballed James intently. “Did Bennett ever tell you how he felt about Gillian?”

“No. He never said a word. In fact, I don’t think he knew exactly how he felt until that question came up. You saw him. He was as shocked as the rest of us!”

Lindy giggled. “That man won’t be able to go anywhere in this town without someone asking him about his love life.”

“That’s true, poor guy. And Dolly’s going to rehash this story until no one can bear to hear it,” James added, gesturing at the gleeful diner proprietor who was no doubt putting forth a host of possible outcomes regarding Bennett’s declaration to a group of a chattering women.

The three friends took reflective sips of their coffee as they wondered the same thing. James noticed that no one was in any hurry to leave the firehouse, which, despite having a cement floor and an old furnace, seemed incredibly warm. Even Milla, who had seemed so tired earlier in the day, showed no inclination to depart. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her eyes glimmered as she pointed to the front of the room. “Here comes the mayor. And she’s got a bullhorn.”

“Testing, testing.” The mayor’s voice burst out in a loud gargle through the mechanism.

James recognized the lanky, tousled-haired figure of Scott Fitzgerald when the young man sprang to the front of the room, made a quick adjustment to the bullhorn, and then whispered some directions to the mayor.

“Your sweet boys are here,” Milla said with a smile and James felt a customary swell of pride as he saluted the Fitzgerald twins, who had been sitting just out of his visual range behind his right shoulder. Willow and Lottie were also there, but while Willow gave him a friendly wave, Lottie didn’t acknowledge him at all.

Scanning the other tables, James saw Murphy seated with a group of handsome young firemen, her head bent over a pad of paper as her pen whipped across the paper.

Groaning, James pointed her out to his friends. “Guess what tomorrow’s headline will read?”

“That witch,” Lucy mumbled. “She can never leave well enough alone.”

Lindy gave Lucy’s hand a light slap. “Shame on you! She’s just doing her job. You two are not that different, you know. You’re both very devoted to your careers.”

Squirming at the thought that his former girlfriends shared similar personality traits, James was relieved when the mayor finished her brief conference with the fire chief and once again brought the bullhorn to her lips.

“Bennett Marshall has done us proud, wouldn’t you agree?” She paused and received only a smattering of applause. “Now, I know he didn’t win. We all saw that he could easily have won, but something interfered with his claiming that cash jackpot. That thing was love. Right there on national television he gave up on a heck of a lot of prize money and a chance to return for another night so he could become a quiz show champion. Everybody knows he could’ve done it in his sleep.” She surveyed her constituents. “He’s probably back in some strange hotel hanging his head in shame, but I say Bennett Marshall has shown the world what the true nature of a man from Quincy’s Gap is all about!” The mayor’s voice grew louder and more passionate.

“He’s our local hero!” A woman shouted.

The mayor smiled at her. “A man of integrity and courage, surely. A man who knows what’s important in life. And we’re going to show him our love and support and hometown pride by welcoming him back to his town in style !”

This time the crowd’s applause was resounding.

“Let’s give him a parade!” A man in the front row suggested.

An elderly lady near James stood up and shook her cane at the previous speaker. “It’s too damn cold to stand around outside.”

“That’s a good point, Mrs. Chambers.” The mayor nodded at the old woman. “What we need to do is gather together like we did this evening, but with a bit more pomp and circumstance. We need decorations, food, and an honorary item to present to Mr. Marshall.”

“If it’s gonna be a party, we need some liquor!” A man suggested heartily.

“And music! Maybe dancing!” Someone else added with enthusiasm.

The mayor hushed the crowd by waving her pointer finger over their heads. “Anyone who would care to volunteer, come to the front of the room. We’ll divide into committee groups. I’ve got to see what kind of budget we can come up with. Mr. Treasurer, would you be so kind as to join me on the stage? And bring your laptop. I know you’ve got a bottom line of what we can spend on that thing. The rest of you should head on home. I’m sure we can convince Ms. Alistair to print off some sticky notes to slap on tomorrow’s Star announcing the time of our little event. And if you’ve got a friend that didn’t show tonight, make sure they’re here tomorrow. I’m expecting the whole town, ya hear?”

“Be more than glad to help spread the word, Mayor!” Murphy called out and James couldn’t help but smile at her.

A dozen senior citizens and several parents carrying young children called it a night, but the majority of the townspeople remained in the firehouse, eager to assist in Bennett’s surprise celebration.

“I hope he survives his homecoming,” James murmured as he and Milla joined the group in charge of refreshments. Lucy and Lindy decided to work with the decorating committee. “There’s no chance of him hiding out at home now.”

“I’m going to make Bennett a whole Sweet Tooth goodie basket, so it’ll be worth his while to stand in the limelight for a spell,” said Megan Flowers, who was sitting across from James. “And we know where Bennett will be at this time tomorrow, but the real question I want answered is will Gillian be here too?”

“She’d better,” Dolly stated firmly. “I’m not gonna close the diner early and cook all afternoon long for nothin’! I need to know how this love story ends, because whether Gillian admits it or not, that’s what this is.” Dolly sighed dreamily. “A small town love story.” She poked James in his side. “Isn’t it romantic?”

Luckily for James, Milla’s relatives were coming to Quincy’s Gap via car service, so he didn’t need to take off work to pick them up from the airport. As he was finishing up the morning’s hold and transfer requests, Scott gestured at the phone behind the circulation desk.

“Ms. Hanover’s on the line for you, Professor.”

Lucy was too excited to waste time in returning James’s greeting. “We’re really going to pull one over on Bennett this afternoon! The mayor has asked Sheriff Huckabee to escort Bennett from the Amtrak station back here. He’s riding the lead car and I’ll be taking up the rear.”

“That’s going to ruin the whole element of surprise, wouldn’t you say?”

“Not at all!” Lucy laughed. “Listen to this part! The sheriff’s brother is a retired FBI agent. He still works for them every now and then on a consultant basis, so he’s got an official ID. He’s going to put on a dark suit and some of those mirrored glasses and tell Bennett that he’s investigating a federal case of mail fraud. He’s going to tell Bennett that someone on his route is suspected of being the ringleader and ask for his help in obtaining information about this person.”

James couldn’t help but chuckle. No doubt Bennett would be completely distracted by such a ruse. “Who’s agreed to play the master criminal?”

“Mrs. Horner.”

“Our old school nurse? Oh, that’s perfect.” James grinned at the image of the prim and proper Mrs. Horner committing mail fraud.

“ That’s today’s good news,” Lucy continued, her tone suddenly tight with hostility. “If I didn’t have tonight’s celebration to look forward to, I might have had to shoot somebody as a stress reliever. Prepare yourself, James. Murphy’s book came out ahead of schedule. One of the deputies showed it to me this morning.”

“Oh no!” James shouted in anguish. “Things were just looking up around here!”

When Lucy didn’t respond in agreement to his sentiment, he asked, “Did you read any of it?

“Most of the first chapter during my coffee break, and that was enough !” Lucy replied angrily. “The beginning is all about us, James. We’re called the Cellulite Club! Cellulite! Murphy made us out to be a group of fat, bumbling nitwits. I’m this aggressive, man-hating secretary; Lindy’s a giggly, flighty teacher desperate for love; Bennett’s a total nerd-she even has him wearing thick glasses and a pocket protector-and Gillian’s just plain nuts. Murphy made her an animal psychic!”

James felt his stomach clench. “And what about me? Ugh, I’m almost afraid to ask.”

Lucy hesitated for a long moment, and James was unsure whether she was trying to be unnecessarily dramatic or was merely unwilling to be the deliverer of bad tidings. “You’re kind of wishy-washy,” she finally replied. “She uses the word ‘weak’ a lot to describe you. Everyone else makes decisions while you hide in the background. Murphy portrays you as someone who’s been permanently destroyed by his ex-wife, so now you let women run all over you.”

“Jane wasn’t that bad,” James stated in disbelief. “Our divorce hurt because I was still in love with her, but I’m not weak! And yes, she left me for another guy, so that didn’t feel great, but she didn’t destroy me! We had a lot of happy times together, and those help balance out the painful ending of our marriage.”

“Do you ever talk to her? To Jane?” Lucy seemed genuinely curious though James suspected she was just trying to change the subject before he could work himself into a full state of indignation.

“We exchange Christmas and birthday cards and an occasional e-mail, but I don’t really know much about her life now. The Christmas card she sent didn’t have a return address on it and was postmarked from Charlottesville, so I’m not even sure if she’s still living in Williamsburg.” An image of Jane smiling up at him as he slipped a platinum band on her ring finger arose unbidden in his mind, but he pushed the memory aside. “Tell me more about the book.”

“I only read the first chapter!” Lucy refused to play along. “Aren’t you getting a copy?”

James snorted. “I ordered four copies for the library, though it killed me to spend the money! Still, I know my patrons will be standing in line to get their hands on Murphy’s novel whether I like it or not, and it’s contrary to the librarian’s creed to censure reading choices.”

“Too bad,” Lucy grunted. “This seems like a great time to gather up a big pile of kindling and have us a good old fashioned book burning.” She sighed mournfully. “See you tonight.”

James hung up the phone and sank onto a nearby stool. For the rest of the morning, he did his best to be his solicitous self for the benefit of his patrons, but as lunchtime grew closer, his anxiety over Murphy’s portrayal of him increased. Before he was even aware of what he was doing, he had purchased two packages of snack-sized cheese puffs from the vending machine in the lobby. He then sneaked into the men’s room and locked himself in a stall. He practically inhaled the first bag and without even pausing to lick the salty, orange dust coating his fingertips, he tore into the second. He was halfway through that bag when he heard Francis’s voice.

“Professor? You in here?” Francis asked apologetically.

James hurriedly swallowed a mouthful of cheese puffs. “Yes.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but Milla’s on the phone and she sounds… well, I think she’s been crying.”

“Be right there.” James balled up the evidence of his frantic snacking and flushed the toilet for good measure. Francis was already gone when he emerged from the stall, shoved the cheese-puff bags in the trash can, and then hastily rinsed and dried off his hands.

“Everything okay?” James asked as he picked up the receiver.

“I’m sorry to bother you at work, dear. I’m just having a hard time dealing with Chase. He told me a few days ago that he didn’t care about the funeral arrangements, but now he’s criticizing all the choices I made, saying that I barely knew my own sister.” Milla sniffed. “That hurts my feelings, James. I tried so hard to keep in touch with her, to be a part of her life.”

“I know you did,” he assured her. “And I’m confident that Chase is giving you plenty of helpful opinions without offering to write a check. Am I right?”

“Yes.” Milla sighed. “Paulette’s already been cremated. That’s what she asked for in her will so I took care of it, but Chase wants to scatter her ashes off the mountain and I’d like to bury them in the churchyard. I know it’s selfish, James, but if she’s there I could go visit her. Talk to her.” Milla’s voice broke, but she quickly regained control and said, “Your father has been very gallant. Even though he still doesn’t like to go out in public, I had to stop him from running over to the hotel. He said he was going to teach that young man a thing or two about manners, but I’m afraid I volunteered you to state my case for me. I’m afraid Jackson’s temper might get the better of him.”

James wished he were at home so he could wrap Milla in a comforting embrace. “I’ll speak to Chase over my lunch hour, but if that punk is rude to you again, I’m going to let Pop at him!”

More stressed than before, James closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He had thirty minutes until he turned the library over to the care of the Fitzgerald twins, and he knew that the fruit salad and vegetable soup he had brought for his midday meal were not going to cut it. Visions of grabbing a double cheeseburger, large fries, and a chocolate shake seemed overwhelmingly appealing.

“You look like you’re thinking happy thoughts,” said a familiar female voice.

“Dr. Ruth!” James opened his eyes and glanced away guiltily. “Nice to see you.”

Gesturing at the corner of her mouth, the nutritionist grinned. “I think you have some cheese-puff residue on your chin.”

Ripping a tissue from the plastic holder next to the barcode scanner, James swiped at his mouth and chin. “You caught me, Dr. Ruth. Not only did I eat two bags of cheese puffs while hiding out in the men’s room, but just then, when I looked happy, I was fantasizing about having Burger King for lunch.”

“Oh?” Dr. Ruth placed a copy of Jodi Picoult’s latest release on the counter and waited for James to continue.

“It’s stress-related, I know that.” James scanned her book and tucked the small receipt listing the due date inside the front cover. “I also know that we’re not in your office right now, but can you give me a recommendation on how to stop myself from surrendering to cravings when I get like this?”

Dr. Ruth touched him on the sleeve. “Don’t worry, this happens to all of us. Stress eating is a big obstacle when we’re trying to maintain a balanced diet. But life throws us curves, James, and sometimes you just need a Happy Meal.”

James felt himself relaxing in Dr. Ruth’s calm presence. “Can’t I overcome how powerful my urges are?”

“Absolutely. First, you could come up with an alternative for dealing with stress. Exercise is a wonderful solution, a drive through the mountains, or settling down to a jigsaw puzzle or some kind of craft project.” She examined his face. “But if you get worked up here and can’t escape to a more peaceful place, then try chewing gum, or taking a quick walk outside, or calling a friend to vent. Try not to reach for food. Make that choice very deliberately.”

“That won’t be easy,” James mumbled.

“No, it won’t. But you’re aware of your behavior, James, and so you’ve already won half the battle.” Dr. Ruth smiled as James held out her library book. “And I’m glad we had a chance to speak because I wanted to tell you that your next appointment with me will be at no charge. A little bird told me that you had a lot to do with the number of new clients I’ve had since the holidays. I’m very grateful, Mr. Henry. Thank you.”

As Dr. Ruth walked away, James realized that he no longer craved a Burger King lunch. “I can face Chase Martin without a double cheeseburger!” he pronounced, and then marched into the break room to retrieve his low-calorie lunch.

Chase was seated in the hotel lobby with all the bored and haughty authority of a monarch awaiting a gesture of supplication from one of his subjects. Clenching his fists, James recalled Milla’s wounded voice on the phone and felt a strong desire to slap Paulette’s son on both cheeks until his demeanor was a bit more humble.

“I know why you’re here,” Chase said without preamble. “But my mother was not a religious person and she’d find it hypocritical to be buried in the churchyard.”

“I understand,” James answered, and he took a seat next to the irksome lawyer. “However, your mother is gone and Milla is here. It would be a comfort to her to visit Paulette’s gravesite. I’m asking you to find some compassion for your mother’s sister and grant her this request.” He spoke as pleasantly as possible, which was very difficult since he really wanted to grab Chase’s coffee cup and hurl its scalding contents into the man’s smug face.

Chase eased deeper into the chair and placed his right ankle on his left knee. Licking his finger, he rubbed at a faint scuff in the walnut-colored leather of his costly loafer. “Even Chloe agrees with my decision to release Mother at some pretty place. ’Course, my little sis wouldn’t care if I scattered the ashes in a landfill, but with the right incentive , she’ll back me on this issue.”

James couldn’t keep his feelings of distaste inside. “Did you bribe your aunt too?”

“No need,” Chase replied with a satisfied smirk. “She only came back to this hick town because Milla paid for the plane ticket. I suppose she’ll do her best to leech off your folks until she’s too infirm to go back to Natchez.”

How could I have ever believed this man had a single decent bone in his body? James thought back to their family dinner at Mamma Mia’s and how, when Chase was in a state of inebriation, he seemed almost likable.

“I’m sure the two sisters merely wish to spend time with each other. Aren’t you in a hurry to return to your own family?”

Chase snorted. “I can expect a big, fat check once my mother’s estate is settled, so I can now afford to pay the ridiculous alimony my wife’s demanding. The only thing I’m in a rush to do is divorce her, visit my spoiled, bratty daughters as little as possible, and spend a month in the Bahamas with that cute stewardess I met flying down here in December.”

James stood. “I can see there’s no reasoning with someone without a shred of empathy. Would you condescend to telling me where and when you plan on scattering the ashes? I’d like to accompany Milla to the… event.”

“Tomorrow morning. Early.” Chase inspected his fingernails. “After all, I’ve got places to be and things to buy. I found a nice little scenic spot in one of the hotel’s brochures on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Bluff Mountain Overlook. Eight a.m. You bring your gal and I’ll bring my charming relatives. You can inform that Willow creature about our little soirée as well. No one’s speaking. There’ll be no music. I’m walking to the edge of the cliff, opening the cardboard box that Mother’s in, and tossing her out to the four winds. After that, you’ll be rid of me for good.”

“I can hardly wait,” James muttered crossly.

Chase rose, clapped him roughly on the shoulder, and then strutted through the lobby and disappeared down a hallway leading to the guest rooms. James’s lunch hour was running out, so he moved toward the display of wooden shelves containing dozens of area attractions and searched for the brochure on the Blue Ridge Parkway. He needed to determine the milepost marking their meeting place. He scanned the upper rows and, only seeing pamphlets highlighting the area’s caves and caverns, squatted down to look at the lowest shelf. Just as he was reaching out to grab the brochure showing a photograph of a two-lane road winding through the Shenandoah Valley’s beautiful, blue-hued mountains, he heard the murmur of familiar voices.

“She’s always found us both wanting.” James recognized Chloe’s customary whine. “Why shouldn’t we be compensated after living a life filled with suffering? You lost the man you loved, and I feel more comfortable with sea mammals than I do with people. Mom ruined us both.”

“You’re young, dear. Plenty of time left for a sunny day,” Wheezie replied in a childish singsong, which James could only assume was simply an odd character trait. “Anyhow, I got what I wanted. Al and I are spendin’ nearly every minute together. I wanna catch up with Milla and then go back home and try to be happy. You should try that too.” She began to hum.

“What about you, Willow?” Chloe demanded petulantly. “How are you going to start over again without any money? Chase owes you too!”

“That’s true. I’m still owed my salary for the month of December. Your brother promised to pay me and give me an extra month as a bonus for being so devoted Paulette, but now it seems as though he’s forgotten how to sign a check,” Willow remarked sourly.

Her voice was so close that James realized the three women had settled into the cluster of lobby chairs he and Chase had previously occupied. How am I going to get out of here? he thought as he glanced at his watch.

“We can’t let him treat us like this!” Chloe hissed. “He doesn’t deserve to be rewarded. He’s a greedy, lying, cheating son of a bitch. I’ve lost my husband, my house, and any hope of security. If I had half of what Chase had, I could start the marine life tour business I’ve been dreaming about and pay off my bills.”

“Everything’s going to be just fine,” Willow assured her coolly. “I’m going to get my money and you can look to your future without so much anxiety. Trust me. If I could handle Paulette Martine, I can handle her son.”

James listened as the women moved away. As he drove back to the library, he couldn’t quell a feeling of uneasiness. How did Willow plan to get the better of Chase Martin?

It’s just Murphy’s book that’s bothering me, he told himself. The supper club will get through this uncomfortable experience just like I’ll get through this last family get-together tomorrow morning. After that, I can finally expect some peace in my life.

The firehouse looked the same on the outside, but by the time James and a troop of other volunteers were done, the garage looked like a scene from a high school prom. Colorful streamers and glitter-encrusted gold and silver stars hung from the ceiling. Bunches of festive balloons were tied to the backs of folding chairs positioned around the room’s perimeter and a huge banner reading Congratulations Bennett hung above a wooden podium.

“Luis had the risers and the podium brought over from school,” Lindy proudly informed James. “He’s also got the drama teacher rigging the sound system. We’re going to have a dance after the mayor’s speech. Look! They’re putting up the disco ball!”

“And here comes the food!” Lucy announced as she carried in a commercial baking tray filled with cookies. “Aren’t these awesome?”

James waited until she set down the tray and then moved alongside her. Confused, he asked, “Why are the cookies shaped like keys?”

“Because the mayor’s giving Bennett the Key to Quincy’s Gap,” Lucy answered happily. “These are snickerdoodle cookies covered with golden icing. Megan and Amelia Flowers have made hundreds of them. I had to quit the decorating committee just to help ice them.”

“I didn’t realize our town had an official key,” James said, reaching out to take a cookie.

Lucy slapped his hand away. “We didn’t, but the mayor came up with one to present to Bennett as a prize.”

“Did you bake cookies in your uniform?” Lindy teased.

“No. And I just put the frosting on, though I stopped to lick my fingers at least twenty times.” Lucy smiled. “Well, I’ve got to run. I’m part of the escort bringing Bennett back here. If I was in a cruiser without being in uniform, Bennett would be suspicious. See you soon!”

James straightened a wrinkle in the tablecloth as Lindy placed two flower arrangements in the centers of the longest buffet tables.

“Any word from Gillian?” he asked her.

“Just an e-mail. I’ve been calling her all day, but I guess she didn’t feel like talking. She wrote back that she needed to take her time getting ready but that she’d be here tonight and we shouldn’t be worried.”

The two friends continued their preparations. By the time they were done decorating, dozens of women had arrived bearing dishes of food. There were side salads of every variety including green salad, Waldorf salad, ambrosia salad, three-bean salad, and three kinds of potato salad. There were huge aluminum trays filled with fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, tuna casserole, baked beans, collard greens, and mini corn cobs. There were baskets of bread including French baguettes, Italian bread, garlic bread, onion rolls, pumpernickel rolls, and buttered white rolls.

The dessert table was so full of pies, cakes, cupcakes, and cookies that the yellow tablecloth was barely visible. James strolled along the table, examining the homemade treats with a lecherous eye. He wasn’t alone. Most of the men in the room were discussing which sweets they’d be choosing once the women allowed them access to the food.

Bit by bit, the large garage filled up with revelers. Bottles of cold beer were handed out, glasses of cheap white wine were distributed, and the noise rose exponentially as more and more townsfolk arrived.

James surveyed the faces of his fellow community members. He said hello to teachers and beauticians, Mr. Goodbee the pharmacist, Doc Spratt, the Fitzgerald twins, the employees from the liquor and grocery stores, Sam and the other bartenders from Wilson’s Tavern, the wait staff from Dolly’s Diner, the excited postal workers, Dr. Ruth and her sons, Custard Cottage’s Willy Kendrick, and even Joan, his ambitious real estate agent.

“The sheriff just called!” someone yelled. “Bennett’s five minutes away!”

As James turned to identify the exuberant messenger, he was flabbergasted to see the last person he’d ever expected to find inside the Quincy’s Gap firehouse. It was Jane, his ex-wife.

Blinking to clear his eyes of what clearly was a hallucination, James looked again. Without doubt, it was Jane. There was no way he wouldn’t recognize her wavy brown hair, which she had cut short into a carefree bob, her angular jaw, or her luminous skin. Her figure had grown fuller since he’d seen her last, but the extra weight had made her softer. The areas of her body that had once been tight and sinewy with muscle were now curvy and alluringly feminine. The Jane he had known for over four years had always dressed to the nines in form-fitting skirts and glitzy accessories, but the woman smiling at him from the other side of the room wore jeans, a white blouse, and cowboy boots.

“She’s beautiful,” James spoke aloud and began to weave his way toward her.

When he finally stood in front of her, he didn’t know what to do, but Jane took charge as she always had. She reached up, embraced him warmly, and said, “Sorry to give you such a shock.”

“These days my life is full of them,” James replied as he continued to stare at her. In the few years they had been apart, fine lines had sprung around the corners of Jane’s eyes and around her mouth, but she was still one of the loveliest women in the room. “But it’s good to see you, even though I can’t begin to imagine how you ended up here.”

Jane laughed. “It’s good to see you too. And you’re as handsome as ever. I thought I’d pick a public place to make my appearance. I wanted to make certain there’d to be a defibrillator around in case you needed a hasty revival.”

“That’s very considerate of you.” James couldn’t help but grin. Jane and he had always shared a similar sense of humor. “And are you here with someone?” he couldn’t help but ask, with a trace of unkindness, for his wife had left him for a hotshot trial lawyer. And having seen the disagreeable Chase Martin Esquire only hours before, James wasn’t particularly fond of those working in that profession.

“I’m alone. Kenneth is out of the picture,” Jane replied flatly. “He has been for a while now.” She shrugged and looked away. “I left a decent and devoted husband for a cruel playboy. I was afraid of becoming predictable and I longed for excitement and well, I got it.”

The pain and fear in her voice stirred protective feelings in James. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

She shook her head, her eyes blazing in anger. “No. Not me.”

James was just about to ask what she meant by that remark when the sound of a bugle call caused him to whip his head around so that he faced the door. The startling noise was immediately followed by unified cheering from the townsfolk as Bennett was led into the room.

It was obvious that Bennett had not expected such a reception. His eyes darted wildly about the dozens and dozens of shouting, clapping figures, a smile frozen on his face.

“I’ll be back!” James yelled to Jane over the roar of the crowd. “I think he could use a friend to lean on right about now.”

Jane patted him on the back. “You always excelled at that,” she said loudly. “I’ve never met a more loyal man than you. Go on! I’ll catch up with you later.”

For once, James was glad to possess some bulk, for his height and solid physique enabled him to barrel forcefully through tight clusters of well-wishers until he reached Bennett’s side.

“I can’t believe this.” Bennett was clearly dumbfounded. “Can we escape out the back door?” He asked weakly, but the tide of townsfolk closed in behind them and the two men were gently prodded forward toward the temporary stage.

“It’ll be over in a minute,” James assured his friend and pushed him up the last step leading to the dais.

Bennett glanced over his shoulder and said, “That’s what they say about executions, but that doesn’t mean I wanna go to one!”

The mayor pumped Bennett’s hand up and down heartily and then, throwing decorum aside, gave him a maternal hug. Leaning over the microphone, she recited a brief speech.

“Welcome home, Bennett Marshall!” She paused to allow for applause. “You have made us all very proud. The world is now aware that the community members of Quincy’s Gap, Virginia, can be both smart and sincere. And darn good looking on that television screen too. Wouldn’t you agree, ladies?” The majority of the women whistled and hooted. “Now, we didn’t have much time to prepare you a formal celebration, so we did things Quincy’s Gap style. Your friends and neighbors have fixed a mouth-watering feast and The Overlook Boys will be providing us with some down-home entertainment. But first, I’d like to present you with a very special award. Bennett Marshall, I give you the Key to Quincy’s Gap.”

The mayor stepped away from the mic in order to hand Bennett a shadow frame containing a brass key that had been engraved with the date and the town name. Kissing him on the cheek, the mayor gestured at the podium and waited expectantly for Bennett to address the crowd.

“Thank you,” he spoke from too great a distance from the microphone and only the front row could hear him.

“Git closer, son!” A man hollered kindly.

“Um, thank you all for doing this,” Bennett said. “I sure didn’t expect it and I don’t believe I deserve it.” He cleared his throat nervously. “This would be too much even if I’d won, and I don’t know if you were watchin’ a rerun or something, but this mailman didn’t bring home the trophy.” He held out the key to the mayor. “I’m not worthy of this. I didn’t win, ma’am.”

But the mayor didn’t raise her arms to reclaim the key to the town. Instead, she grinned widely and jerked her head toward the front door. Along with every person in the room, James swiveled around and watched as the crowd parted to allow Gillian passage to the podium

As his friend walked up the aisle like a bride, James gasped. Gillian looked absolutely stunning. She was dressed in a flowing silver dress that shimmered as she moved. Her neck was bare of her customary string of necklaces and she wore a single silver bangle on her right wrist. Her hair, usually so bright and wild, had been colored a dark auburn and was swept off her face using a narrow headband of light blue. Her aquamarine eyes were fastened on Bennett, and as she seemed to float to him, he appeared utterly stricken by a mixture of terror and adoration.

“She looks like a mermaid,” someone whispered and James agreed. Beautiful and serene, Gillian could have just walked from the frothy surf like a modern-day Botticelli Venus.

Gillian walked up the stairs to the podium with deliberate grace and then stopped within inches of Bennett. Placing her hands over her left breast she said, “You did win, Bennett. You’ve earned the admiration of your fellow citizens and stirred the emotions of countless television viewers.” Bennett remained frozen. Gillian’s next words were whispered softly, but James was close enough to overhear her say, “And Bennett Marshall, you have won my heart .”

Bennett released his pent-up breath and offered the woman before him a dazzling smile. With the entire town looking on breathlessly, he then pulled Gillian roughly toward him and commanded, “Kiss me, woman!”

The couple’s lips met, tentatively at first, but then their arms wrapped around one another’s backs and they seemed to melt together.

The audience erupted in ecstatic cheers.